New blog site

The new site is available now. We will be moving it to this address soon, so there is no need to adjust your bookmarks.

Slow blogging

Apologies for the short hiatus in blogging on Slugger O'Toole. We hope to bring you the new design and news of a new project shortly.

Negotiations: five key areas

Irish government officials have identified five key areas on which they believe substantial progress can be made.

Negotiations: game off?

Mark Devenport finds Gerry Adams's downbeat remarks at the weekend inscrutable, but weighs the consequences of further inaction before the May election:

"If republicans decide, as Gerry Adams indicates, that the time is not right to reach agreement, they will risk alienating London, Dublin and Washington in the uncertain hope of achieving a better deal in the autumn, by which time it's likely that the face of unionism could look rather different."

Adair: Scottish exiles

Ruaridh Nicoll casts a Scottish eye on the new arrivals from Ulster. Meanwhile the Scottish media are turning their attention on Loyalist activities more generally.

As the group disperse throughout Britain the UDA have threatened to track down John Gregg's killer whereever he settles.

Adair: one killing too far?

Henry McDonald tells an epic story of how Johnny Adair may have tempted fate once too often.

Fianna Fail: dangers of organising in the north

John A Murphy warns Fianna Fail that acting on a recent motion to organise in Northern Ireland may do little to further the party's political ambition, and undermine confidence in the Belfast Agreement.

UDA unites after funeral

It is reported that the funeral of John Gregg has united all factions of the UDA, and that the feud is over in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile in a scenario that strangely echoes a motif from ancient legend, John White has vowed to return from Scotland.

Book review: Erskine Childers

This looks a like a good read. The biography of a fascinating historical character, Erskine Childers:

"Born in England but raised in Ireland, he fought for Britain in the First World War, before joining Sinn Fein and then the IRA. He was executed by the Irish Free State, but his son eventually became president of the Irish Republic. Chiefly known in Ireland for smuggling German guns into the country on the eve of the Great War, he is most famous in England as the author of the novel that, some say, anticipated - and may even have helped precipitate - that conflict."

For a more swashbuckling account of escape, The Guardian's book of the week review is of The Voyage of the Catalpa: A Perilous Journey and Six Irish Rebels' Escape to Freedom.

Iraq, Paxman and a Prime Minister

A slight digression, but this piece by emigre Cork academic Kieran Healey is worth a read on the grilling of Tony Blair on the BBC last Thursday.

Northern Ireland economic still below par

Gary McDonald reports (subscription) on the continuing under performance of Northern Ireland:

"It will take 'another generation' for Northern Ireland’s economy to move away from its reliance on the public sector, forecasters warned yesterday. Although the north's economy should grow 'slightly faster' this year than in 2002, the region's economic activity rate will remain the poorest of all the UK regions."

Loyalist feud: a recap

David Gordon with a fairly comprehensive recapitulation of the last few months of the feud.

Portadown News

We don't always get the chance to pass by Portadown-on-the-web, but this week's issue is one of the best yet.

Loyalist feud: political leadership needed?

The Times is not renowned as a leading criticism of Unionism, but it seems the dangers of the Loyalist feud has led it to make this rather stinging criticism of the leadership in Unionism:

"Responsibility rests with local politicians. David Trimble complained yesterday about “some in the Unionist leadership which over the last few years has emphasised only negativity, that it kept on drumming into people”. This was a legitimate swipe at the Democratic Unionist Party but is relevant to Mr Trimble and many of his colleagues as well. The Ulster Unionist Party has too often either steered clear of loyalist trouble-spots or pandered to the sentiments of those at the wilder end of the spectrum. It has been disinclined either to make a positive case for the peace process of the past six years or to challenge the remit of loyalist warlords."

The Scotsman has produced a descriptive list of the main players in the feud itself.

A Catholic police reserve?

Sharon O'Neill reports that most of the new recruits to the part time Police Reserve will be Catholic.

Book review: Nationalism, devolution and the UK

This work by Ulster academic Arthur Aughey takes a longer distance look at the changes in the UK since in 1997 and what it might imply for the British identity. Reviewer Stefan Wolff remarks:

"...the recent devolution of power to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has created a degree of uncertainty in which the very and continued existence of the United Kingdom is and can no longer be taken for granted with its former sources of pride (the Commonwealth, the constitution, institutional continuity, and status as a world power) having been or being eroded and the answer to the question 'whether there is the political will or the civic energy to make out of modern Britain [an] attractive and inclusive national identity' still open."

Update: There's a more comprehensive review here

An DUP agus Sinn Féin le bheith ag obair le chéile?

Síleann Robert McMillan go bhfuil an greim den fear mhór ar a pháirtí fein ag éirí lag:

"Tuairiscítear go gcaithfidh gach ráiteas a eisítear ar son an DUP dul fríd oifig lár an pháirtí. Ach ó tharla gur thug Hay an chaint, tchím féin é mar chomhartha go bhfuil greim grise an pháirtí ag éirí lag. Le dul in aois Ian Paisley, níl sé le feiceáil nó le cluinstin oiread agus ba ghnách. Tá seo ag tabhairt spáis do bhaill an pháirtí 'smaointiú os ard'."

Críochaigheann sé le seo:

"Ar a laghad beidh an dá Thaoiseach, Bertie Ahern agus Tony Blair, i mBéal Feirste ar an 12 Feabhra le fuinneamh a chur sa phróiseas. Ábhar suntais eile ná go bhfuil Martin McGuinness i Meiriceá fá choinne cainteanna le Richard Haass, Comhairleoir George W. Bush ar Éirinn. Beidh an tUasal Haass in Éirinn an mhí seo. Tá sé seo uilig ag éirí cosúil le choreography, nach bhfuil?"

Negotiations: troop reductions?

The Andersonstown News articulates a Republican view of what's required from the negotiations:

"A bold move, such as withdrawing 5,000 troops immediately and closing down their surveillance watchtowers (or relocating them to areas like Rathcoole and the Lower Shankill which are racked by violence) is needed from the security brass who have undermined the peace process thus far by their foot-dragging and begrudgery."

Negotiations: deal yes, but not without Unionist approval

Newshound has its top story links to a possible historic movement from the IRA. But Richard Hass warns that it will amount to nothing if it is not acceptable to Unionists.

Loyalist feud: nearing the end

The BBC's Brian Rowan suspects that the end is nigh for the low level conflict that threatened to rip the UDA apart. Last night's flit from the Lower Shankill and the defection of 100 members of Adair's C Company may have sealed the end of the rogue outfit.

Adams documentary

John Meehan reviews last week's documentary on Gerry Adams and detects a few holes in the fabric.

The future of education?

Ginko Kobayashi reports on the ways in which integrated education is beginning to affect ordinary life in NI.

New Dialogue

Is an interesting pressure group that runs conferences and publishes a magazine. It has an interesting collection of contributors, including John A Murphy, Stephen Plowden, Gary Kent.

There's also a controversial article enlarging on Mary Robinson's suggestion that Ireland thinks about re-joining the Commonwealth by British Labour MP Harry Barnes.

Optimistic US envoy

Richard Haass keeps his upbeat tone.

Unionist silence over Loyalist killings?

Brian Feeney excoriates the under-performance of Unionist MPs in speaking out over the lawlessness of Loyalist paramilitaries.

Republican endgame?

Snapshot accounts of a political party's fortunes are notoriously fickle, for instance many people wrote the DUP off after the anti Agreement group lost the argument in the referendum on the Belfast Agreement. However Jack Holland reports on what he thinks is a low point for Republican Sinn Fein.

DUP argues for smaller government

Peter Robinson has argued that though devolved government hold potential benefits for NI, 108 MLAs was effectively more that it could afford. He suggested instead downsizing to 72 members.

Loyalist feud: threats and funerals

It looks like some of Johnny Adair's closest supporters have fled for Scotland from the very area that 150 families associated with the rival UVF were evacuated just over 2 years ago.

The funerals of the two UDA men presumed to have been killed last Saturday by Adair's C Company takes place today.

Shamrockshire Eagle

Paul Dunne used to blog on a daily basis and now produces an issue once a week. And this time he is blogging with some (nationalist) gusto!

Loyalist feud: Adair isolated?

After warnings were issued to Johnny Adair's remaining allies within the UDA, the jailed breakaway leader of C Company appears to have been completely isolated.

Sinn Fein/DUP back channel?

Sinn Fein cheif negotiator Martin McGuinness seems to have outed an unofficial channel of communication between the harder line DUP and his own party.

Negotiations: Haass calls for realistic movement

Richard Haass has hit the ground running. In the Irish Independent, he both asks for a bold move from Republicans and a generous response from Uniionists

Delay in posting...

Sorry for the delay in today's blogging. We've had problems with web access here at Slugger central. We will now resume

Government reform: councils jostle for position

Over government, according to some commentators, is an ongoing problem in Northern Ireland. However, during the hiatus in the Executive, local councils are talking about clawing back more power towards themselves and away from devolved departments and quangos.

Policing drama: business needs stability

Tom Kelly goes back in time to put the business case (subscription needed) for a full backing of the PSNI:

"If the police are not given full community support to rout these remnants of paramilitarism and their structures now, we are likely to face decades of criminality similar to that faced in the Republic of Ireland 30 years ago. At that time the splintering of the republican movement into various factions in the early and late 70s which bequeathed a legacy of lawlessness and armed criminal gangs. Some of these factions clung tenuously onto their paramilitary links to provide a degree of political cover for their criminality."

"Our task of dealing with organised crime operating under the cover of paramilitarism is complex and manifold. We have it on both sides. Businesses in the building trade know only too well of companies paying off both the IRA and UDA for protection money on two sides of the same construction site. Is this really the type of environment likely to attract new investment?"

Negotiations: US has landed

Richard Hass's return to NI, signals Washington's effort to push party's towards a substantial agreement.

More Lords for NI?

One perhaps unforeseen consequence of the reform of the House of Lords could be increased representation for Northern Ireland there.

Loyalist feud: where next?

Speculation continues on just how close we are to major bloodshed in a feud that has done little more than simmer since autumn. The Daily Telegraph reports a call from Ken Maginnis to re-introduce internment to head off the worst possible effects of a possible escalation.

Decommissioning: lack of balance?

Sinn Fein MLA, Gerry Kelly suggests there is a lack of balance to recent calls from various unionist and British government sources for the disarmament of the IRA:

"This is why we get the briefings, the anonymous sources, the planted articles. This is why we get the singular focus on the IRA at a time when the loyalists are killing people. This is why a senior loyalist PUP politician recently stated that the issue of loyalist decommissioning has never even been raised with him by the British government."

Loyalist feud claims two more

Despite a period of calm, the retaliatory feud continued at the weekend with shooting of John Gregg and a junior associate after they returned from a football match in Scotland. The Examiner has picked up a rumour that he was set up by a fellow Glasgow Rangers supporter.

Suzanne Breen believes it is now only a matter of time before the next round of killings resumes. The dead man apparently issued a warning, only hours before his death, to Johnny Adair's C Company faction that they had a fortnight to come back into line with overall organisation of the UDA.

Book review: the speckled people

Warm review of the autobiography (The Speckled People) of Irish writer Hugo Hamilton, who grew up out-of-place in a trilingual family in the 50s and 60s.

Sinn Fein's changing support base

Due to appear shortly on the Irish Echo site, this piece from Eamon Lynch takes a critical look at recent claims that the government has removed 200,000 voters from the electoral list in Northern Ireland.

On Sinn Fein's base support he comments:

"The party casts a wider electoral net today than ever before, a fact evidenced by poll victories and a post-cease-fire influx of first-timers and moderate nationalists. Tossing red meat to the base is gradually less important too because the base just ain’t as green as it once was. Hence the looming disbandment of the IRA won’t trouble supporters as it might have back when those who manned the party barricades paid a heavy price for doing so."

Ireland splits over Iraq

John Fay, editor of NI Newshound newsfilter site, talks (subscription needed) about the unease he feels at a growing anti-American sentiment in the Republic. However, he contrasts this with the actions of the Irish government:

"As an American, I accept that Irish people have the right to decide what nations they side with as they see fit. However, for many Irish Americans, the fact that many in Ireland would choose not to support the U.S. is stunning, if only because most Irish Americans have always supported Ireland and wished Irish people well. Official American attitudes towards Ireland should be based on the extent of mutual commitment. The Irish government has recognized this aspect to international relations."

"Acting out of naked self-interest, the government is permitting U.S. forces to land at Shannon on their way to the Middle East despite almost (seemingly) universal opposition to this policy. Therefore, state-to-state relations between the U.S. and Ireland are apparently not going to be affected by any war with Iraq."

Still, he warns that purely reactive attitudes against US's actions in the wider world context could have serious longer term consequences for Ireland.

And it's not just in the south. Malachi O'Doherty's relates the polarised attitudes in Northern Ireland towards potential American action over Iraq.

Why an IRA stand down makes sense

Interesting argument in favour of an IRA stand, from a Republican point of view. Plus an rundown of the last week from Paul Dunne, picking up on this article by Brian Feeney that we missed here on Slugger.

Ireland richer than Germany

And other interesting facts from American blogger Jack O'Toole, has dug out of yesterday's Daily Telegraph.

Peace not an natural state

Taking a global view of a word which is daily bandied around NI, Umberto Eco argues that one of our problems in the west is that we assume that peace is the natural and perfect state of being.

"In the era of globalisation, global peace becomes impossible. So there remains just one possibility for peace: working for peace on a case-by-case basis, creating each time a possible peaceful solution in the context of wars that follow one after another. Peace on a local basis can be achieved if, when combatants are wearied, a negotiating agency puts itself forward as a mediator and produces a ceasefire. A continuous series of these > "small peaces" can, in the long term, act as a sort of drain by washing away the tension produced by permanent war."

But in advance of a possible conflict in Iraq, he emphases the prodigeous difficulties achieving peace:

"Universal peace is like the desire for immortality: so difficult to achieve that religions promise immortality not before but after death. However, a small peace is like the act of a doctor who cures a wound: not a promise of immortality, but at least a way to postpone death."

Eco previously wrote a similar piece on the roots of conflict, just after 11th September,

Policing drama: Sinn Fein to join board

Well it looks like Sinn Fein have accepted the legitimacy of the PSNI, as Mitchell McLoughlin announces that his party will take their places on the policing board. However, Gearóid Ó Cairealláin hints in the Andersonstown News that this doesn't mean an end to the evolution of the Service.

It remains to be seen what effect this will have on Unionists already on the board; some of whom have stated in the past that they will walk out when Sinn Fein come in.